Kayleigh Noe throws up snow as she skids to a stop during a downhill skiing event at Marquette Mountain during the Meijer State Games-Winter Games in 2022. (Dreyma Beronja/Mining Journal photo)

MARQUETTE — The Meijer State Games will returning to the Marquette area for the 2024 edition of the annual Olympic-style sporting competition.

The games will take place the weekend of Feb. 9-11. The upcoming version of the games sees the State Games of Michigan partnering with the nonprofit Great Lakes Sports Commission in hosting the Northern Michigan hub of the Winter Games.

There will be seven sporting events at six distinct venues in the area, as well as the opening ceremony that will take place on Feb. 9 at Marquette Mountain.

“The Great Lakes Sports Commission is thrilled to partner with the West Michigan Sports Commission to host the Winter Games in Marquette in 2024,” said Eric Marvin, executive director of the Great Lakes Sports Commission. “This collaboration embodies the spirit of unity, celebrating the power of sports to bring communities together. We are excited to create an unforgettable event showcasing the unique culture of our region and the talent of our dedicated athletes. Together, we will make the 2024 Winter Games an inspiring experience for all.”

The Meijer State Games was started in 2010 as a competition for athletes regardless of age and ability level to be able to participate in Olympic-style games. Originally only a summer event, the Meijer State Games added winter games in 2014.

The 2024 competition marks the third year that the games will be in Marquette, when it was added as a second location to the original Grand Rapids site of the games in an attempt to take advantage of the Upper Peninsula’s bountiful winter weather that could enhance certain outdoor events.

“The State Games of Michigan was designed to be a Michigan program with a statewide footprint, which we have been excited to expand with the addition of Marquette as a second winter hub for the past two years,” said Julie Shields, director of the State Games of Michigan. “This partnership with the GLSC allows us to bolster and grow that region’s participation in the Meijer State Games of Michigan.”

The addition of the Great Lakes Sports Commission sees the organization taking on the role of management of athlete recruitment, marketing, local sponsorships and fundraising, as well as the administration of venues, security, transportation, hospitality, medical services and volunteer organization.

The partnership between the GLSC and the State Games of Michigan will continue through 2026 and will have an opportunity to renew the partnership at that time.

“This partnership with the GLSC is another example of the importance of collaboration with tourism associations across Michigan in order to successfully host sporting events, similar to what we did with the Greater Lansing Sports Authority and Visit Muskegon to host the International Bowling Campus Youth 2022 Junior Gold Championships,” said Mike Guswiler, president of the West Michigan Sports Commission. “Now we’re doing it with the GLSC as we expand our State Games locations, which we could conceivably keep adding throughout Michigan.”

Registration for the games is expected to open in the middle of this month. Registration and other information can be found online at www.stategamesofmichigan.com/marquette-winter-games.